The present invention is related to agricultural and horticultural implements, and more specifically to flexible mounting of extension wings for implements and a method and hydraulic lift apparatus for such wings.
The desireability of efficient and economic use of time and energy has contributed to the feasibility of larger mulching and tilling implements for agricultural and horticultural uses. Since there are practical and legal limitations for transporting such implements on public highways additional width for such implements are often provided by including extensions or wings of additional mulching or tilling tools on the lateral ends of an implement. In order to provide flexibility, it is common to mount such extension wings on implements in such a manner that they can be folded down into a use position for work and folded up and out of the way for transportation and storage. In recent years, with the advent of significantly larger implements and extension wings, such lifting and folding mechanisms are now often power operated, such as with hydraulic cylinders connected to the hydraulic system of a tractor.
Extension wings and powered lifting and folding apparatus for such wings existing prior to this invention have been appropriate and useful for conventional agricultural applications. However, such conventional apparatus prior to this invention have lacked the flexibility and utility required for some specialized applications, such as crimping and fixing mulch in newly seeded road ditches, mining reclamation areas, pipeline rights of way, and other locations where sharp variations in terrain and tight operating spaces are commonly encountered.